Driving mechanism for washing-machines.



. P. DOR/W.

Dmvlm MECHANISM F08 WASHING MACHINES. i

APlLICATION FILED JULY 2.1917.

Pfmentd July 23, WM.

TT/QNYE I. P. DORIIIU.

DRIVING MECHANISIII FOR WASHING MACHINES. APPLICATION IILED JULY 2.1917.

II m'm IIIII-@IIIQII my im, Ism.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

.iti il TOI-IN' P. DORAU, OF JEFFERSON, WISCONSIN.

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR WASHlNG-MACHNJES.

Application filed July 2, 1917.

.To alt whom it may concern:

lic it known that l, .loiiN l. Donno, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Jeli'erson, in the county of Jefferson and Stale of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful .Improvements in Driving Mechanism for l/Vashing-Machines, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of thisl sl'iecil'ication.

The invention relates to driving mechanism, and more I )articularly to a driving mechanism for a washing machine.

llt is one of the objects of this invention to provide a driving mechanism for operating the shaft carrying the clothes pounder so as -to revolve the pounder shaft in one direction during several agitations and vertical reciprocations of said pounder and then revolve said shaft in the opposite direction during several agitations and verti cal reciprocations of the pounder' with the result that the pounder will strike the clothes in different places and thus more efliciently accomplish the washing operation than in that type of washing machine in v which the pounder always strikes the clothes in the same place.

A further object of the invention is to provide a yielding connection between certain of the parts constituting the driving mechanism to permit the pounder to yield under excessive pressure.

The invention further consists in the sev eral features hereinafter set forth.

ln the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view of the device embodying the invention, parts being broken away and parts being shown in, section;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1; i p

Fig. L1 is a sect-ion taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a View, partly in section, `of a rnodied form of driving mechanism;

Fig. 6 is a section taken on the line 6-6 ofFig. 5; I

Fig. 7 is a View, partly in section of another modified form of device;

Fig. 8 is a section taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a section taken on the line 9 9 of Fig. 8.

'lhe Washing machine to whleh the driv- Specification of Letters Patent.

llatcnted duly 99, 191. semi no. 17am.

struction. A horizontal drive shaft 15 is Journaled 1n the bracket 12 and carries a gear 16 in mesh with a fly wheel 18 said fly wheel being provided with a groove 20 in which a round rubber band 21 is inserted and which a gear 17 integral with tor (not shown). 'lhe construction above described serves to continuously rotate the drive shaft l5. However any `other suitable means may be used to impart movement to said shaft 15.

rlhe invention resides in the driving connection between the drive shaft 15 and the pounder shaft 13.

ln each form of the invention this driv ing connection includes a member having an automatically reversible driving connection with the pounder shaft and an odset joint connection with the drive shaft 15.

ln Figs. 1 to fl inclusive l have illustrated the preferred embodiment of this driving connection. 1n this instance the member consists of a shaft 22 journaled in a bearing 23 and carrying a gear 24 at one end and a spherical knob 25 at its other end. The bearing 23 is pivotally secured at one end to a housing 26by a pipe 27, said housing having arms 27 through which the shaft 13 passes and said bearing is also provided with an eccentric 28 mounted thereon to permit a slight rocking movement and provided with a finger 29. The joint connection between the member and the shaft 15 consists of a crank 30 carried by said shaft and provided with a bore 31 in which the knob 25 is slidably and pivotally mounted, said knob carrying a pin 32 slidably mounted in alined slots 33 in said crank. 'llhis odset joint connection producesL a back and forth or agitating movement of the pounder together with an up and down movement. ln order to relieve the pounder of excessive load l have provided a yielding connection between the driving connection and the shaft 15 which is formed by slidably mounting the crank 30 in a bore 39 in a. member 35 mounted by said shaft and interposinw a., spring 36 between said member 95 an band is adapted to bev vfrictionally engaged by the wheel of a mojournaled on a stud shaft 19,

the crank 30 to permit relative yielding mov-ement, the crank being guided and retained in operative position b f a. guide rod with the shaft Q2 rotate the gear which be-t ing in mesh with the gear 39 will rotate said gear to make one complete revolution of the pounder shaft during several agitations and vertical reciprocationsof said shaft 13 after which the linger 11 will strike the finger 29 oscillating the eccentric 2S which in turn moves the bearing .23 up Yardly disengaging the gear 21 from the gear 39 and bringing said gear 24 into mesh with the gear 40 which then imparts a reverse rotation to the pounder shaft for one revolution during sev-- eral agitations and vertical reeiprocations of the shaft 13 at the end of which time the finger 4.1 strikes the other side of the finger 29 thereby shifting the eccentric Q8, bearing Q3 and shaft 2:2 to bring the gear 21 into mesh, with the gear 3) again and repeat the op erations.

The constructions shown in Figs. 5 and G is similar to that previously described eX- cept that the reversible gear drive consists of a ratchet wheel 12 fixed to the shaft 13 and provided with a projection or finger L13, a double pawl 41 pivotally mounted on a vertical pin 45 carried by a member 2G having arms 27 through which the shaft 13 passes, said member having a shaft 22 integral therewith and provided with a knobbed end 25 which is slidably and ros tatably mounted in the bore 31 of the cranld 30. This offset joint connection produces an agitation of the pounder together with an up and down movement. The pawl 41 is provided with a shifting arm or finger -16 which is acted upon by a spring 47 connected to the member Q6 and to a rod 48 connected to said finger, said spring serving to pull the finger 16 and double pawl 44 over dead center and to keep one pawl in engagement with the ratchet wheel 42.

With this construction as the shaft 15 is rotated it will through the joint connection with the member Q6 shift one of the pawls to move the ratchet wheel 42 one tooth at a time during the agitation and .vertical re ciprocation of the pounder shaft until finally said shaft with the ratchet has made oneI complete revolution at which time the finger 43 strikes the arm 16 reversing the position ol` the pawls aud thereby causing a revolution olthe. pounder shaft in the reverse direction during several agilations and vel'- tieal reeiprmations of the )ounder shaft.

'l`he construction shown in l `igs. 7 to t) iuclusive is similar to that of Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive exeept that the sha-ft 22 is connected to the pounder shaft l'or reverseiy operating it by reverse mangle gearing consisting of the pin gear 21 earried by said shaft 22 and a mangle raek 4l) having upper and lower annular guide. grooves 50 for receiving the end 57 of the shaft 22, e. plurality of pins .'32 between the grooves and grooves 53 connecting the grooves 5() whereby the gear 2i while running in the upper groove will engage the pins 52 to rotate the pounder shaft 13 in one direction and then the end 51 passes down through one of the grooves 53 into the lower groove and engages the pins to rotate the pounder shaft in the opposite direction, and then returns to the upper groove to repeat the operation. It will thus )e seen that, this construction gives an alitomatic reversal to the pounder shaft after every revolution while said shaft. is being agitated and vertically reciprocated. It will alsobe noted that. in this construction the mangle gearing takes the place of the gears 21, 3S) and 40, the eccentric 28 and the fingers Q5) and 41.

Thus in each of the forms above described during the continuous rotation of the drive shaft 15 there is a turning of the pounder shaft in one direction for about one revolution during several agitations of the pounder and vertical reciprocationsy of the pounder shaft through the ball and crank joint connection, and then in the reverse direction for about one revolution during several agitations of the pounder and vertical reciprocations of the pounder shaft. Of course it will be apparent that instead of one Stop which permits of almost one revolution of the pounder shaft, two stops might be used so as to' cause only a partial revolution in one direction and then a reverse partial revolution in the other direction. Since the pounder moves back and forth and up and down as it rotates it strikes the clothes in different places during its movements and thereby eiiiciently cleans them.

The invention thus exemplifies a new and improved form of driving mechanism particularly adapted for use in connection with washing machines.

iVhat I claim as my invention is:

1. In a driving mechanism, the combination, with a vertical shaft, of a drive shaft disposed at an angle thereto, and a driving connection between said shafts for imparting a rotary movement in one direction to said vertical shaft during several oscillations and vertical reciprocations of said vertical shaft and for imparting rotary lnoVe- Laraaae connection between said shafts comprising a member having an offset joint connection with one of said shafts and an automatically reversible driving connection with the other of said shafts.

3. ln a driving mechanism, the `combination, with a vertical shaft, of a drive shaft disposed at an angle thereto, and a driving` connection between said shafts comprising a member having a yieldingly mounted offset joint connection with one of said shafts and an automatically reversible driving co-nnection with the other of said shafts.

4. ln a driving mechanism, the comhination, with a vertical shaft, of a drive shaft disposed at an angle thereto, and a driving connection between said shafts comprising a member having an -automatically reversible gear drive connection with the vertical shaft and an offset connection with the drive shaft.

5. lfn a driving mechanism, the combination, with a vertical shaft, of a drive shaft disposed at an angle thereto, and a driving connection between said shafts comprising a member having an oifset connection with the drive shaft and carrying a gear, a pair of reverse gears carried by the vertical shaft, and means for automatically bringing said rst named gear into alternate driving engagement with the gears on the vertical shaft.

lin testimony whereof7 l affix my signature.

Jorrit r. Donati. 

